Sharon Calahan is an American
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
who was director of photography on the
Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
films ''
A Bug's Life
''A Bug's Life'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 1998 American animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ran ...
'' (1998), ''
Toy Story 2
''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and the first sequel to Toy Story. It is the second installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and was directed by J ...
'' (1999), and ''
Finding Nemo
''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Lee Unkrich, and produced by Graham Walters, from ...
'' (2003), and was lighting director for ''
Ratatouille
Ratatouille ( , ; ) is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that originated in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic ...
'' (2007), ''
Cars 2
''Cars 2'' is a 2011 American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to '' Cars'' (2006), the second film in the ''Cars'' franchise, and the 12th animated film from the studio ...
'' (2011), and ''
The Good Dinosaur'' (2015). She took part in the early rise of
computer animated feature film making and the acceptance of that medium as cinematography. Calahan is the first member of the
American Society of Cinematographers who was invited to join on the basis of a career entirely in animated film. She was nominated, with
Bill Reeves,
Eben Ostby, and
Rick Sayre, for a
2000 BAFTA Award for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects for ''A Bug's Life''.
[
]
Early life and education
Calahan is a graduate of Othello High School, in Othello, Washington, and of the art program at Spokane Falls Community College
Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) is a Public college, public community college in Spokane, Washington. Established in 1967, it is a part of the Community Colleges of Spokane. SFCC enrolls approximately 3,805 students and has an open admis ...
(SFCC).[ Her studies did not include ]filmmaking
Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
, computer animation or computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...
, but rather illustration
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...
, graphic design
Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
, and still photography
Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
.[ She "stumbled into computer animation by accident", eventually leading to her career in feature film cinematography.][
]
Lighting and cinematography
Calahan worked in Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...
as an art director
Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
at KXLY-TV
KXLY-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC and owned by Morgan Murphy Media. Its studios are located on West Boone Avenue in Spokane, and its transmitter ...
, KREM (TV), and at documentary film company Pinnacle Productions.[ Calahan was part of the early years of the ]computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...
(CGI) industry's expansion into television and feature films, as lighting director making commercials and TV programs for Pacific Data Images (later PDI/DreamWorks),[ until she joined Pixar in 1994, first as a lighting supervisor on '']Toy Story
''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the first installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the Firsts in animation, firs ...
'' (1995).[
The first time Pixar used the title ''Director of Photography'' (DP) on a film was on Calahan's next project, ''A Bug's Life'', representing a recognition that the processes and thinking behind computer generated film production had more in common with ]live action
Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games o ...
film than with cel animation.[ At Pixar it became an established goal to make films that looked like live action, not cartoons.][ More than a dozen years later, computer-animated films at other studios, such as '']How to Train Your Dragon
''How to Train Your Dragon'' is a media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the book series How to Train Your Dragon (novel series), of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: '' ...
'' ( DreamWorks, 2010) and '' Frozen'' (Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, 2013) still did not credit a director of photography.[
Calahan said that on any kind of production, whether entirely made of computer-generated imagery, or a typical modern feature that is usually a hybrid of live action shots with large amounts of added CGI, or a pre-computer era movies shot entirely on film, the director of photography "sets the visual tone" and will "create and realize an artistic vision for the composition, lighting and look of the movie as a whole," meaning that there is little real difference between a traditional ''director of photography'' ]credit
Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...
and the new labels that were tested during CGI's infancy, ''virtual cinematographer'', ''director of imaging'', or ''computer graphics director of photography''.[ In a Pixar production, a team of about 30 to 65 lighting artists is overseen by the DP, whose lighting director guides master lighters, who both pre-light each scene and oversee shot lighters who light each shot individually.][ This takes place in constant collaboration with the layout department, and with teams doing ]concept art
Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in film, video games, animation, comic books, television shows, or other media before it is put into the final product. The term was used by the Walt Disney Animation Studios ...
, storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proce ...
ing, and previsualization
Previsualization (also known as previsualisation, previs, previz, pre-rendering, preview or wireframe windows) is the visualizing of scenes or sequences in a movie before filming. It is a concept used in other creative arts, including animation, ...
. During pre-production
Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, video game, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the co ...
, while sets and characters are being designed by the art department and the technical teams are designing workflows, lighting has not yet begun, but Calahan will paint several hundred lighting concept illustrations, based on the other teams' work but also influencing them as her paintings evolve alongside their design work.[ During this iterative and mutually collaborative process, Calahan will begin to settle on lighting for each scene and will ask other teams for changes, like recomposing shots.][
Calahan's work as both visual designer and lighting director of ''The Good Dinosaur'' was based in her experience as a native of the Pacific Northwest and from her time spent painting landscapes around the area of Jackson, Wyoming, which became Calahan's model for the film's setting.][ Calahan had often vacationed in the mountains to do ]landscape painting
Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...
.[ During ]location scouting
Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work ...
in the Jackson area, as well as in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
, including a white water rafting trip, digital photos were collected, and added to Calahan's own library of photos of the region.[ By the time director Peter Sohn and director of photography-camera Mahyar Abousaeedi had sets and rough character animation to work with, they could establish factors such as blocking, camera lens ]focal length
The focal length of an Optics, optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the Multiplicative inverse, inverse of the system's optical power. A positive focal length indicates that a system Converge ...
s, and depth of field
The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus (optics), focus in an image captured with a camera. See also the closely related depth of focus.
Factors affecting depth ...
. This allowed Calahan and her team of close to 40 lighters to do a first lighting pass, setting the initial tone for the rest of the production, and giving the film its unique look.[ For ''The Good Dinosaur'', this meant open and natural landscapes with a rugged, pioneering feel, while for ''Ratataoullie'' the lighting was soft and romantic, and ''Cars 2'', a "guy's film", was all about shiny metal.][
In 2007, Calahan was invited to join the ]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
(AMPAS). She became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers in 2014, as the first member to be elected to that professional group who had worked only in animation, without also having done live action film.[
]
Filmography
* ''Toy Story
''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the first installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the Firsts in animation, firs ...
'' (1995) Lighting Supervisor
* ''A Bug's Life
''A Bug's Life'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 1998 American animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ran ...
'' (1998) Director of Photography
* ''Toy Story 2
''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and the first sequel to Toy Story. It is the second installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and was directed by J ...
'' (1999) Director of Photography
* ''Finding Nemo
''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Lee Unkrich, and produced by Graham Walters, from ...
'' (2003) Director of Photography
* ''Ratatouille
Ratatouille ( , ; ) is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that originated in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic ...
'' (2007) Director of Photography, lighting
* ''WALL-E
''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American animated Romance film, romantic science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, produced b ...
'' (2008) Lighting Consultant
* ''Cars 2
''Cars 2'' is a 2011 American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to '' Cars'' (2006), the second film in the ''Cars'' franchise, and the 12th animated film from the studio ...
'' (2011) Director of Photography, Lighting
* '' John Carter'' (2012) Color Consultant
* '' The Good Dinosaur'' (2015) Director of Photography, Lighting
* ''Coco
Coco or variants may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Coco'' (2009 film), a French comedy film
* ''Coco'' (2017 film), an American animated fantasy film
* '' Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' (), a 2020 Japanese anime film ...
'' (2017) Additional Lighting Design
* '' Onward'' (2020) Director of Photography, Lighting
Awards
* Nominee: British Academy Television Awards 2000 for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects, with Bill Reeves, Eben Ostby, and Rick Sayre, for ''A Bug's Life'' (1998).[
* Nominee: 10th Visual Effects Society Awards 2011 for Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, with Mahyar Abousaeedi, Jeremy Lasky and Jonathan Pytko for ''Cars 2'' (2011)][
* Nominee: 43rd Annie Awards 2016, Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production, with Harley Jessup, Bryn Imagire, Noah Klocek, and Huy Nguyen for ''The Good Dinosaur'' (2015)][
]
Works
*
*
Patents
* with Shah Apurva. Saturation varying color space. April 18, 2017.
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calahan, Sharon
Living people
Pixar people
American cinematographers
American women cinematographers
People from Othello, Washington
Year of birth missing (living people)