When he does use artificial lighting, Kestermann allows the nature of the material to help him select his sources. He generally turns to HMIs, preferring them over tungsten lamps on about 80 percent of his jobs because of their efficiency, effectiveness and punchiness. "I even like the flicker the light has a certain nervousness," he says. He further enhances the energy of his shots with moving lights, often shining them through some kind of atmospheric disturbance, such as rain or smoke. When he wants a warmer look, however, Kestermann does use tungsten fixtures. "If something has to be extremely elegant and relaxed, I use tungsten light. On some jobs, I light only with Kino Flos. They’re really beautiful lights."
Much of Kestermann’s imagery involves beauty lighting. He focuses on actors’ faces in particular, often using two front lights one positioned directly above the camera, and another directly below it while stopping down on the face. "If I don’t use backlight, then I may make the front light just a little brighter," he says. "Other than that, I like to concentrate on lighting the lips and eyes."
To jolt the viewer, Kestermann often utilizes opposing colors in the same frame. "He was the first person who got me thinking about complimentary contrasts," says Walker. "I’m always interested in the emotional reaction to color. Rolf uses color very much for an effect he’s very into controlling colors via the art department. It’s something that’s not very American; I think the color palette used here is more limited [as opposed to in Europe]."
As a director and onetime dancer, Walker finds Kestermann’s work to be quite rhythmic. In fact, when a sequence is being shot MOS, Kestermann likes to have music playing both for his own benefit and to set a mood for the actors.
Kestermann avoids mixing film stocks, and his choice of emulsions varies by job. "Lately, I’ve been using [Eastman Kodak’s] 5293," he says, along with 5245 for daylight work, and Vision 500 for night shoots. "It depends on what’s needed. The films stocks are very good when you’re going to television; it’s only when you push them that you may see grain." He adds, however, that as long as he stays within one stop of normal exposure, grain is never a problem. As far as filtration is concerned, Kestermann uses some diffusion, but little else, aside from a polarizer and the occasional neutral density filter for outdoor work.
Kestermann does try to mix up his camera movement, alternating between locked-down, handheld and dolly shots. Recently, he has also utilized Filmotechnic’s three-axis Flight Head. "It has a gyroscope built into the pivot points. The way it’s hung, it’s not too rigid," he explains, adding that with other heads, if the crane is slightly crooked, the head may not be level. "The way this one hangs, it’s always level."
Partly because of his fondness for to shoot handheld, Kestermann often employs an Arriflex 435 camera. "I use Arriflex probably 90 percent of the time," he says. "I really like shooting with the 435. I always want to do things handheld, and it’s a lot easier with that camera. I’m left-eyed, and [because of the Arri’s swingover viewfinder], for once I can look through the lens with that eye."
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