The Ice Storm: Offering a Cinematographer’s Perspective
By Bob Fisher

Originally appeared in International Film Festival Magazine
in 1997

In Hollywood, Fred Elmes, ASC is considered below the line. He’s rarely mentioned by movie reviewers, and when they do, it’s usually for the wrong reason. They’ll cite his “beautiful photography,” but Elmes will tell you, “It’s not what they see that matters. It’s what they feel.”

Elmes provided the visual perspective and translated Ang Lee’s vision for The Ice Storm into images that put the audience into the mood and setting of the story. The ASC after Elmes’ name signifies he’s a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. Virtually all of the other members made their reputations shooting mainstream narrative films. Elmes is an exception. His credits include Blue Velvet, River’s Edge, A Woman Under the Influence, Eraserhead, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Permanent Record, Wild at Heart and Night on Earth.

Elmes has worked with David Lynch, Jim Jarmusch, Martha Coolidge, Tim Hunter, John Cassavetes and Marisa Silver. His narrative TV work tends to be in the same genre. Last year, he earned an Emmy nomination for the HBO movie In the Gloaming, which marked Christopher Reeves’ debut as a director.

Elmes studied photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology, intending to pursue a career as a photojournalist. When his interest shifted to film, he transferred to N.Y.U. and continued his studies at A.F.I.

His first impression of Lee was, “He’s a soft-spoken man who uses words sparingly. We agreed that the painting style of the photo-realists was right for this story. We visited galleries and looked at art books, and found painters from the 1970s whose style we liked. We selected those whose work imitated the fine details and lighting in photographs. It gave us something to talk about.”

The Ice Storm is about a 1970s family which has all of the trappings of success, but they live empty, valueless lives. The story is set during Thanksgiving, but was filmed in April and May, when leaves on trees were sprouting. Elmes visited the location earlier in February, and shot winter backgrounds. The crew spent several nights creating an ice storm by spraying water on trees. The cold air quickly turned the water into beautiful icicles decorating the trees.

“We maintained that look when we worked with the actors,” he says. “We shot day exteriors first, while the trees were still bare. I worked with (production designer) Mark Friedberg to drain the color out of everything including costumes and props. The subtle colors felt winter-like.”

“One of the family’s homes was stark and cold-looking. Big windows showed the audience the bare trees outside,” he says.

Occasionally, Elmes changed the visual pace by using a combination of sunlight and color gels to create a warmer feeling. Another home occupied by the family looked and felt more comfortable, providing visual contrast.

Elmes is also highly regarded as one of the world’s top TV commercial shooters. “Shooting a feature film takes a lot out of you,” he says. “It requires a lot of thought and physical endurance. That’s where it helps to shoot commercials. They are short-term commitments that enable me to be more selective about features. It’s also an opportunity to work with different directors who have fresh ideas. Kodak offers so many new films with specialized imaging characteristics that commercials give me an opportunity to experiment with creating different looks with the new films. Digital postproduction is also becoming an important extension of our work. We can change or combine elements of pictures and manipulate them by altering colors and contrast. I’m continually applying what I learn from shooting commercials to my narrative film work.”